Customer Reviews

Rally 7413 200W Cup Holder Power Inverter with USB Port

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This product does all that it was advertised to do and has plenty of outlets--2 standard wall outlets, a car outlet and a USB outlet. You can run a cell phone charger, a satellite radio and your MP3 player off of this power inverter. The one glitch, it has to be turned off and on--in other words, when you plug in a device, it will not start charging right away--you must flip the power switch back to off and then on again. Don't assume that just because you have it turned on that it is actually charging. It is a small inconvenience, but otherwise, the product works great!

I received this product this evening, and I have to admit it looks great. I was really excited to try it because it seemed far better in construction than some reviews have said. I took it out to our 2003 Pontiac Montana. We power stuff through the utility & cigarette lighter adapters all the time. First problem: It would not stay put in the socket, but instantly popped out. I tried numerous times to get it to stick. Finally, I just decided to hold it in and see if I could power it one. No luck. Just plugging the adapter into the vehicle blew the fuse.

"Hmm, must be a fluke, I thought, I'll try it in my Camry." Took it over to the Camry, plugged it in, and before I could even try turning it on, my radio went dead -- and the power port with it. It had blown the fuse in the Camry, too. And this is with nothing plugged into the inverter, mind you!

It's going back. Totally unreliable, and so far all it's done is blow fuses.

I wanted an inverter to power my laptop charger. Didn't want to permanently install one, but didn't want one sliding around on the floor or dash either. This design fits great in one of the center cup holders and plugs in the lighter socket nearby. Has a USB plug to charge your Iphone or Ipod, TWO AC outlets, and a built-in lighter plug so you can still use another 12volt device without having to unplug the inverter. It isn't completely silent, but at 200 watts the fan is necessary. I was a little disappointed in how the fan was attached inside the vent opening - it pushed into the housing with very little pressure - had to take the housing apart to re-attach it with some superglue.

No doubt this item sounds great when reading the product description, but when I actually plugged it into my car, it blew the fuze for the cigarette lighter adapter. According to the box and my car manual, the two should be compatible with each other. I tried it in a different car, and the same thing happened. Do not buy this product.

I would rate this as so-so. The unit does fit in the cup holder, but it is not a snug fit, so it may flop around a bit. The fan noise is pretty loud in respect to it's purpose. I use the AC plugs infrequently, but nice to have them when you need them. FYI....fan noise is only present when using AC adapters.

It works very well, but does not fit snugly into the cup holder - it is a bit wobbly. Also, I found it for $10.00 less about 2 days after it arrived. Bottom line, the product works well, but I do have to find a way to get it to stop wobbling in the cup holder without blocking any of the fans. There was one rubber "chunk" included, but I would need 3 or 4 to stabilize the device.

I used the usb port to charge my Zune, nook and iPhone...100% success.

I used the 3-prong outlet to fill my queen size aero-bed...the first time it didn't turn on. I unplugged it and plugged it back into my Honda Fit's power source. (thinking that maybe i didn't have it all the way in) 100% success on the second try.

I did read someone's review that said the unit was 'glitchy'. Considering the problem that i had with my 3-prong outlet i tend to agree.

Bottom line...i would buy one for someone as a gift, and i would feel comfortable recommending it to a friend to purchase.

First, I'm very happy this power inverter has a 12V female connector allowing me to continue having a 12V power port available. This is constant whether the power inverter is on or off. The USB power port is also constant. The only need for the power inverter to be in the "on" position is for using the 110V outlets. They (either individually or simultaneously) can handle a max of 200W with a spike (1/3 of a second) of 400W. I've only used them with a little more than 100W so far without any problems.

Second, the bad, really, not so bad...The fan does make noise but only when the power inverter is switched on to use the 110V outlets. This is acceptable and necessary for cooling the unit. Since using the 110V outlets may be rare anyway and when being used while driving, the road noise, A/C and talking make the fan noise virtually unnoticeable. Another thing is the protective caps are a bit difficult to remove, especially the USB cap. This cap can be left off/open for regular use.

As for the power inverter sitting securely in your cup holder depends on your cup holder. In my case, the unit was not very stable where I used foam around the bottom to give it a snug fit in my cup holder. Foam also allows air flow to the fan intake vents. I never received a "rubber chunk" as another reviewer stated.

Overall, I am very happy with this power inverter...With all these functions in my vehicle, it's like having a car office.

I bought this to use on a camping trip to power/charge my iphone, air compressor/pump, and coffee pot. It worked great and charged my phones and air compressor/pump but for some crazy reason it didn't work on my coffeepot - hands down the most important item. :( I still can't figure out why as the coffeepot continues to work at home - just not when routing it through the power inverter. The only other inconvenience was having to run your car when charging - a given when using a product of this type. And, for reference - I used it with my 2005 Ford F150.

The unit is basically functional, but does not live up to its rated specs. It says it is 200 watts, but I can't run my Macbook 90 watt power adapter on it. The Macbook adapter works fine on the Wagan EL2405 inverter, and that one is rated at only 100 watts. So if you need to have a certain amount of power, it looks like you can trust Wagen's raings but not Rally's. (And the Wagen is quiet, besides.)